Ban new freeways: transport group

EastLink is in its final days of preparation, with safety checks, tolling tests and construction works nearing completion. The 39-kilometre road, originally scheduled to open in November, is now anticipated to open in the last week of June. Road industry sources have told that EastLink is likely to be toll-free for the first month of operation.Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones

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AUSTRALIA must halt construction of freeways if drastic cuts in
emissions from vehicles are to be achieved, a submission to the
Garnaut Climate Change Review has said.

The Public Transport Users Association has backed its
recommendation with a document showing that expansion of freeways
does nothing to alleviate congestion. Instead, the report says, new
freeways encourage car use and worsen gridlock.

"The existence of congestion indicates high latent demand, so an
increase in road capacity quickly induces additional traffic," the
report says.

"The need to shift a large proportion of motor vehicle journeys
to walking, cycling and public transport, as well as the
counter-productive effects of road capacity expansion, both
demonstrate the need for a moratorium on new roads."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy in October pledged that France
would stop building motorways and airports to tackle pollution from
transport. Instead, Mr Sarkozy said, there would be more investment
in the French rail network, to shift freight traffic away from the
roads.

More than 25% of French carbon dioxide gas emissions are from
transport. In Australia, transport makes up 14% of greenhouse gas
emissions.

The public transport group's submission to the transport strand
of Professor Ross Garnaut's climate change review follows a
recommendation to the State Government by Sir Rod Eddington that a
$9 billion road tunnel linking Footscray with Clifton Hill be
built. The 18-kilometre east-west tunnel would be one of the
largest road projects in Australia's history.

Sir Rod's recommendation has infuriated many transport experts
who believe a road tunnel would do little to relieve congestion and
instead would encourage Melbourne's continued reliance on the car.
Critics also argue the financial benefits to the community of
building the road do not justify the expense.

EastLink is in its final days of preparation, with safety checks, tolling tests and construction works nearing completion. The 39-kilometre road, originally scheduled to open in November, is now anticipated to open in the last week of June. Road industry sources have told that EastLink is likely to be toll-free for the first month of operation.